


Alternatives

by Tyberius



Series: Blade and Loki [1]
Category: Blade (Movie Series), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 09:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2224344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyberius/pseuds/Tyberius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As he is about to be taken back to Asgard at the end of the Avengers movie, Loki sees a chance to escape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This version of Loki is based on the Marvel movies, norse mythology and my phantasy, but I haven't incorporated anything from the various comics featuring Loki. Blade is like he's in the three Blade movies, no stuff from the TV series or any comics. His universe isn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a world with vampires as in the movies, but there are no superheroes or SHIELD-like organizations and it's a lot like our world.

The humans eyed him with hate and disdain. These mortals that were unworthy of his divine regency smirked at the sight of the chains and gag, enjoying his degradation.

Thor walked towards him, the Tesseract in hand, to take him back to Asgard.  
To Odin Allfather and his justice.

The restraints were to bind his magic, yet when he touched the other handle, he felt the Tesseract's power flow into him despite that.  
A unique chance.  
A decision he had to make within the blink of an eye, weighing Odin's punishment and Thanos' revenge against each other.

Thor looked at him and turned the handle of the Tesseract's receptacle. They dissolved into the path between the worlds.

Loki made his decision and teleported into the cosmic space of Yggdrasil.  
Direction and destination were difficult.  
He only managed away, far away from where the Other was, far away from Thor and Asgard.

Pain filled his entire being, so intense that he screamed. Control slipped away from him. His magical power quickly vanished now that he wasn't in contact with the Tesseract anymore.

Loki fell through space like he'd fallen before.

An eternity or mere seconds later a wormhole opened and sucked him in.

Deep inside he encountered a rift in space, sealed and hidden.  
With the last of his might, Loki slipped into it.

Darkness consumed him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Go fuck yourself," the piece of shit sneered.

"Wrong answer, asshole." Blade pulled the trigger.  
The bullet tore the familiar's head apart in a satisfying splatter of blood, brain and bone fragments.  
Yet the pain of Whistler's death didn't diminish, no matter how many vampires and familiars he killed.

Putting his MAC-11 away, Blade walked to his motorcycle which he'd parked several streets away.  
The body he left in the alley as a provocation to the suckheads.

As he'd reached the motorcycle, suddenly a bright light flashed through the night.  
Blade swirled around, actually a bit startled, since there hadn't been any warning sound.

Suddenly something appeared within the nearly blinding light thirty meters above the ground.  
And crashed down on the snowy pavement while the light disappeared.

No, not something, someone.

Carefully, Blade stepped closer.

A tall, slender white man.

Where had he come from?  
There was nothing, just the open area above the large parking area.  
It made no sense.

The man was dressed in an unusual leather outfit and wore the restraints around his wrists and ankles and the strangest steel gag Blade had ever seen.

He was amazingly undamaged after this fall.  
The steel of his restraints looked ... scorched, as did his tattered clothing, but his hands and face showed no sign of burns.

Dead? No, unconscious. Blade could hear a faint breathing and heartbeat.

He didn't smell human ... nor vampire underneath the overlaying scent of dirty, burned leather.  
Which perplexed Blade since no more options existed.  
Still, there was no way he was wrong about this. The man had to be ... something else, no matter how human he looked with his fair skin and tousled black hair.  
Something like Nomak? No, his scent was completely different from the reaper's stench.  
There weren't any aspects of human or vampire pheromones. Yet his blood appealed to Blade on the well-controlled level of the thirst.

Blade nudged the man's lower leg with his left foot.  
No reaction at all.

He slipped a glove of despite the freezing cold and felt for a pulse at the jugular. Faint and slow. Cool skin, not vampire-cold, but not humanly warm either.

Suddenly the man's eyes snapped open.

In an instant Blade was away, his right hand on his MAC-11.

The man stood up damn fast, his eyes and face showing a wild mixture of anger, fear and relief. The steel gag just crumpled away, baring bloody lips and a bruised jaw.  
He straightened his stance and ripped his cuffs, shackles and chains off.

A gold glow rippled over his body and his clothes were all shiny new leather. The bruises on his gaunt face nearly vanished and his wild, long hair was immaculately slicked back.

Blade kept his expression impassive and resisted the impulse to take a step back, not showing how much this alarmed and shocked him. What he'd just seen was impossible ...

"I'm Loki of Asgard," the man said.

He looked at Blade like he expected to be recognized.  
Blade thought he might have heard that name somewhere before, but he couldn't remember when and where. He had to find out more about this creature and its intentions.

"I'm Blade." After a dramatic pause he added, "The Daywalker."  
He carefully watched the man's reaction. Loki had obviously never heard of him which made an involvement with vampires unlikely - but not impossible.

Police sirens sounded in the distance. Time to go.  
And this Loki would come with him, so he could uncover this mystery and the vampires didn't get their claws into him.

Blade got on his motorcycle and powered up the engine.  
"Want a ride?"

Loki grinned. Gracefully despite his long leather garment, he swung his leg over the bike, taking seat behind Blade. He curled his long arms sensually around him and purred into his ear, "Very much."

Now this was taking an unexpected turn, but Blade could deal with that and use it.  
He sped away.

@@@

Loki recognized the realm as Midgard. Such irony. 

But it was a different Midgard.  
Yggdrasil's magic was far, far away here.  
Heimdall's gaze wasn't reaching here.  
Odin didn't see here from Hliðskjálf.  
Hugin and Munin didn't fly over this realm.  
Jörmungandr's presence wasn't within the deep sea.

Different. Like Blade was different from anything he'd ever encountered.  
Not human, but he wasn't one of those monstrous mutants either.

As Blade drove onto the highway and Loki clung comfortably to him, Loki considered the possibilities that he'd landed in an unknown realm or an alternate version of Midgard. While the icy wind caressed him, he couldn't come to a conclusion yet. He needed to calm down from the turmoil assaulting his thoughts and investigate further.

Suddenly a car pulled up behind them.

The occupants, not human, something else, surprisingly similar to Blade, fired at them.

Should he take care of that? Set them at fire? Explode their car? Freeze them ...

Blade pulled a gun and fired at the car. Precisely, without getting the motorcycle into spinning.

No, Blade handled the situation well enough on his own, and it wasn't like Loki could get seriously injured in this.

More gunshots were exchanged. Some hit cars on the other lane.  
Somewhere well behind them cars crashed.  
Wild honking sounded from everywhere.

Blade got something from underneath his leather jacket and threw it back at their pursuers.  
Loki tensed as he recognized it as a grenade. _Is he insane?_

But it just exploded into a flash of light.  
To Loki's complete puzzle the men inside the car crumpled into burning dust. Their car crashed into the guardrail.

Blade made a harsh turn to the right and sped down the on-ramp the wrong way, avoiding the oncoming cars, slipping past them and between them.

Something crashed behind them.

A few hundred meters away Blade stopped in an empty side road. 

Loki laughed with excitement, smoothing his hair back with one hand. This had been a good thrill.

Blade reloaded his two guns, then looked questioningly at Loki.

"I'm perfectly fine ... drive on before all those traffic accidents catch the police's interest."  
Loki sensually snuggled up against him.

Driving to the city's outskirts, Blade considered whether or not it was a good idea to bring a complete stranger to his home.  
Loki wasn't armed and his place wasn't something special, he kept no truly important or secret stuff there, so it shouldn't be a problem. If things went to hell, he could just get a new place or even kill Loki.

As he reached the desolate former industrial quarter with its many empty, decaying buildings, he remembered where he'd heard the name before, Loki was some god from mythology. It was completely irrelevant, though, that the man was named after a mythological figure.


	3. Chapter 3

Blade drove into the factory ruin he'd claimed as his, up a ramp to the first floor, and parked in the middle of the living area.  
The place held only the necessities of every day hunting and living. A workspace, a meditation shrine, a bed.  
No fancy security system, he didn't needed that for just himself.  
Spare weapons and technology, data, Whistler's notebooks, the books stolen from Damaskinos's library he kept elsewhere.

He hunted alone these days, preferred it to having Abigail Whistler and King around and found himself craving and enjoying the loneliness and privacy.

As Loki got off the motorcycle, his right hand casually slid over Blade's upper thigh. Blade didn't show any reaction. He would see how far Loki was willing to go with this.

For now, Loki was more interested in his surroundings. Curious, he looked around, his blueish-greenish eyes taking in everything.  
He obviously restrained himself from bodily snooping around.

"Who did you just kill?" Loki asked, turning his full attention on Blade.

"Vampires." Blade offered no further explanation, instead watched the man's reaction closely. He took off his leatherjacket and neatly hung it up. This showed off all the weapons he carried.

Loki seemed surprised and curious. His expression was restrained, hiding something.  
"Why?"

"Because I hate them."

To Loki the answer made perfect sense. There was much he hated and wanted dead, too. Only he couldn't kill as freely.

Blade eyed the tall man who now stood so close to him and looked down at him, that the difference in their heights was very obvious. The guy was at least 6'3'' tall, he estimated.

Everything about him was strange, from his attire to his demeanor.  
He decided on the direct approach, so he asked, "What are you?"

Loki gave him a hard look that briefly spoke of annoyance before control and acting skills took over.  
"I'm a God, you mortal creature." His voice was full of sudden arrogance, his earlier seductive playfulness gone in a total swing of moods.

 _Insane_ , was Blade's first thought.  
Except that Loki truly wasn't human or vampire. Well, then, that didn't make him a god, more likely an unknown creature some may call god. Like LaMagra, a being some vampires called their god. Like Drake who'd called himself a god. Blade had killed both.

"I'm not mortal," Blade smugly replied.  
Some exaggeration was called for to put such arrogance back into place. He was as mortal as any pureblood vampire, even aging faster than them, but Loki didn't needed to know that.

"Well, what are you?" Loki smiled at him, the arrogance well restrained again.

"I've all the strengths of the vampires, but none of their weaknesses." Blade of course didn't go into any detail about the thirst. "Vampires are immortal and powerful. So things ain't that different between us."

"Sounds like things are calling for an alliance between us." Loki's smile widened, his true intentions unreadable. The only thing Blade was certain about was that arousal mixed into Loki's alien scent. The pheromones were similar enough to recognize.

Blade decided to play along. It promised to be the best way to find out what Loki's agenda was.  
"So you want to hunt vampires with me?"

Loki laughed. "Maybe. Among other things." The scent of his arousal increased.

"What do you want from me?" Blade forced himself to smile.

"Nothing. Everything. Something in between." Loki grinned. "For starters, just show me this realm. I'm a stranger to this world of yours."

@@@

They went out again and explored the city by motorcycle. The time to indulge Loki's wish was well invested. It offered a chance to find out more about the mysterious man. Blade had currently no tight schedule and this night of hunting was over anyway.

So he showed Tokyo to Loki.  
For starters quite tourist-style, not wanting to give away his knowledge about the vampires' locations. Too soon for that.  
King would fucking laugh his ass off at that. 

Loki seemed genuinely fascinated by things and asked many questions. Harmless stuff of general interest Blade answered in equally harmless ways. It was a game they both played well.

Loki was working at seduction. Seemingly casual, intimate touches, focusing his attention on Blade in a way that spoke of admiration and well-placed smiles went hand in hand.  
It wasn't difficult for Blade to endure and even encourage that since Loki was quite attractive.

It was curious how the cold of riding a motorcycle in winter didn't bother Loki at all. His bare hands felt cool, but weren't getting any colder over time. Something that reminded Blade of vampires.

Around noon Blade guessed he had to take Loki to lunch. He didn't know any restaurants asides from the places that were owned by vampires.  
So he just picked a Mac Donalds he'd noticed earlier driving by. He had no intention of spending any more of his hardly stolen money on this than absolutely necessary.  
But Loki eyed the place with disgust.  
"Show me the best of Tokyo's cuisine, not this," he demanded.

"If you pay, no problem."

"I think I can help with that. Let me see the currency."

Suspiciously, Blade handed him a banknote.

Loki studied it for a moment, then he made an intricate hand movement and a golden glow surrounded his hand and the 2000 yen note.  
Blade quickly moved to shield that from sight of the passing pedestrians.  
Suddenly a whole pile of banknotes appeared in Loki's hand.

What the fuck?  
It had happened so fast, but to Blade the effect still seemed very similar to what Loki had done right after he'd woken up when suddenly the injuries on his face had mostly vanished and his hair and clothes had cleaned up.

Blade didn't let on how unsettling this little show had been and just grabbed the money from Loki. The banknotes looked perfectly fine, even the serial numbers were different from the original one. He quickly put the money into an interior pocket of his jacket and pulled Loki away before they attracted too much attention from the surrounding people.

They ended up in a fancy Japanese restaurant. Inside it was dark and stylish with all artificial light and no daylight. Only a few other guests were there at this time of day.  
The waiter eyed them discreetly but strangely as he brought them the menu, even though Blade had left his sword and more obvious weapons at home since he'd known he would've to blend in with the general human population today.

Blade quickly scanned the menu even though he had no intention of ordering anything more than a gyokuro tea.  
Loki chose a selection of tempura and teriyaki meats and red wine.

After the waiter had brought their drinks, Blade took off his sunglasses, looking at Loki.

Loki raised his glass, giving a captivating smile.  
"To glorious adventures."  
He drank.

 _Adventures indeed._  
Blade sipped on his tea.  
"So, where are you from?"

"Asgard, the realm eternal."  
Loki wouldn't tell about the happenings on the other Midgard and his dealings with the Chitauri, not now, probably never.

"What's that?" Blade decided he really needed to do some research on this god Loki and the surrounding topics.

"Odin's golden kingdom." Loki's voice was dripping with disdain. " Home of the Aesir."

Finally something Blade recognized. Odin was the main deity of Norse mythology. Loki and this Asgard thing were probably part of that, too.  
"Where is it?"

"In the terms of your science it's a planet within the Andromeda Nebula."

So Loki was an insane alien who thought he was a Norse god?  
Blade bit back a grin. Another thing King would've laughed his ass off at.  
"What are you doing here?"

Loki shrugged, a kinda cute, boyish gesture. "Got lost." He smiled and it made him look very adorable.

"This ... thing you did with the money, what is it?" Blade carefully asked.

Mischief twinkled in Loki's eyes.  
"Magic," was his answer.

Blade didn't get a chance to think about what to make of that.  
Alarmed, he scented the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Blade reached for the sub machine gun hidden under his jacket.  
A bunch of suckheads had just entered through the back door and was rapidly closing in on him.  
At least he was wearing his full Kevlar, but he longed for his sword.

"What?" Loki asked perplexed.

"Vampires," Blade hissed.  
He got up and swirled around, firing at the first vampire that came in from the kitchen.  
Hit him and ashed him.

Ten more vampires swarmed in.

Two were very old world style with their traditional Japanese clothing. They had to be high ranking purebloods from the house of Kobejitsu.  
He probably should feel honored Kobejitsu hadn't send just the goons. The other eight were fully armed soldiers who carried heavy machine guns.

"Daywalker, we've warned you to stay away from what isn't yours," the older pureblood spoke in English. "Now you will die for your insolence."

"No, your master will die," Blade answered in smooth Japanese and pulled the trigger at the same time the soldiers opened fire.

Blade dodged the bullets in an exhausting display of speed and managed to shoot another suckhead.

His silver glaive cut through two more, turning them into ash.

He fired at the remaining five until the magazine of his gun clicked empty. Three of them were crumbling into ash. A bullet had graced Blade's arm. Ignoring it, he dropped the empty gun and pulled his pistol.

The purebloods pulled guns, too.  
Blade jumped at the closer one, ramming a stake into the vampire's heart with his left hand while he shot the soldiers with the pistol in his right.

Suddenly Loki appeared behind the older pureblood. Blade saw a small dagger in his hand. He was sure Loki had been unarmed before.

Creatures like those in the car last night. Vampires, Loki now knew, even though he had no idea what vampires actually were. He had never encountered something like them.  
Loki stabbed the dagger into the creature's back.  
But it didn't die, even though his seidhr flowing into the weapon should ensure anything died from it.

Then Blade was there and pulled the creature away before it could even try to attack Loki. He tossed the vampire's gun away and kicked him into the crotch.

Blade broke off two legs of a table and rammed them into the suckhead's body, pinning him to the ground.

"You can kill me, you savage, but you can't change our ways and the workings of the world," the vampire spit out, voice trembling with pain.

"I won't kill you yet, so you can give Kobejitsu a message from me: The Daywalker will end his reign."  
Blade pulled out a incendiary composition, which looked like a harmless lighter. Standing over the pureblood, he activated it and let it fall on the skewered figure.  
He enjoyed the panic in the vampire's eyes as his clothing caught fire and he understood what was going to happen.

The vampire's screams filled the room.  
Burning ash swirled around, glittering in the fire's shine.

Loki was laughing like a maniac. He hadn't enjoyed himself this good in forever.  
Impulsively, he pulled Blade into an embrace and kissed him.

@@@

In the depths of space, the Other kneeled before Thanos.

"The Asgardian failed me! Bring him to me," Thanos spoke. "His suffering shall make the earth shake."

The Other bowed his head deeper. "He has disappeared without a trace. He is not on Earth anymore and did not arrive in Asgard with Thor."

"Find him!"

@@@

Loki was all over him by the time they got home.  
They were kissing and fumbling with each other's clothes, eager to disrobe and get it on. Blade wouldn't let Loki disrobe him, though, he didn't wanted Loki's hands on his hidden weapons and gear.  
Loki smelled as horny as he acted. Blade played along, so Loki would think his plan was working. Also Loki was appealing to him on a primal level, waking sexual desires he usually seldom felt.

"Where did that dagger come from?" Blade asked inbetween two kisses.  
It also gave him the chance to discreetly avoid too intense kissing without having to tell Loki the reason. The vampire virus was in his saliva to be transmitted via biting. The risk of infecting someone with kissing seemed low, but it nevertheless made him too uncomfortable to really enjoy a kiss.

"Take a guess." Loki's voice was full of teasing and amusement.

"Magic." Which Blade needed to find out more about.

"Exactly." Loki grinned and his eyes glinted mischievously.  
He resisted the temptation to magic away their clothes. It would totally freak out Blade and ruin his chances forever.  
Instead he opened the buckles and straps of his ankle-length, ornamental upper garment and took it off. Next he took off his leather vambraces, the only pieces of armor he currently wore, all the while watching Blade disrobe.

Loki always loved it if he could combine scheming with pleasure. Watching Blade fight had been like an exquisite foreplay. The man was cold and calculating, it would be difficult to make him form an emotional attachment to Loki and be controlled that way. Carnal pleasures offered the best chance, since pleasure would get him into an emotional state that was directly and positively associated with Loki.

Blade took off his gloves and leather jacket, then a silver-buckled leather vest Loki recognized as a form of midgardian body armor and a holster. Underneath he wore an isolation jacket. It came off quickly, too, as well as his shirt.

The tattoos on his neck and jawline continued downward in a far more extensive pattern than Loki had thought. Intricately intertwined black lines wound over the dark brown skin of his shoulders, arms, chest and back. Loki liked the way they complimented his strong, muscular build. A warrior, he thought, but unlike the Asgardian ones actually attractive in his obvious strength.

Blade's gaze roamed over his body as in turn Loki took off his leather tunic and shirt. He noticed that the dagger wasn't there again, unarmed like he'd been before the attack. Blade didn't like that one bit, but didn't show anything else than appreciation for the view.

Loki's body was slender and pale and thinly muscled. His shiny black hair flowed down over his shoulders, adding to his exotic appearance. With the bruises on his face completely disappeared by now, nothing marred his attractive features.  
The way Loki focused on him, smiled at him, was captivating beyond the promise of pleasure.

Loki's hand cupped Blade's cock through his pants.  
"I want to feel this ... All the way ... In any way you desire," he whispered before kissing Blade again, offering submission in a strangely irresistible way.

Their leather pants and boots came off on the way to bed. They eagerly sank down on it, not bothering to pull back the covers.

They touched each other, caressing and exploring. The enjoyment of this pleasure came easily to Blade without tugging at his control over the thirst. Arousal, but no overwhelming need to bite, even though Loki's blood was certainly appealing. 

Loki subtly used his seidhr to increase stimulation. He rubbed their hard cocks together, suddenly slickening his hand up.  
"Remember, magic?" he offered at Blade's startled tensing.

Blade growled, a sound so animalistic Loki shivered with desire, and thrust into his grip.

"Come on, let loose all that power and aggression on me. I crave your raw strength ..." he urged Blade on.

And Loki got what he wanted.  
Blade pushed him harshly down and turned him around, gripping his hair and twisting it around his hand so his knuckles were tight against Loki's skull. Loki moaned in anticipation, arching his back.

Blade fucked him hard and Loki enjoyed every bit of it.

After sex, Blade watched him fall asleep on top of the crumpled covers, then silently got up.

Slipping on his bathrobe, he went into the bathroom to inject his serum. He endured the pain of it in complete silence.

While Loki slept, not bothered the slightest by the chill of the room, Blade did some internet research.

He spent the next two hours reading about Norse mythology.

It left only two likely possibilities.  
Either Loki was totally fucking with him or he was really Loki and his people's earlier visits on earth had inspired this whole mythology.  
The first was option was clearly the more unlikely one since it offered no plausible explanation on what Loki was, and Loki had to be alien. Something like him didn't exist on Earth.  
The latter would mean, among other things, that Loki was a creature that lived for many hundreds of years when he'd been already around in the times to inspire the legends. It seemed he'd truly picked up a Norse god who was on Earth for whatever reason. Inexplicable remained, that Loki's blood was enticing. It shouldn't be possible with an alien's blood, and Loki couldn't be anything but not human.

About this magic shit he didn't find out anything, of course, but thinking about it he realized, that Drake's shapeshifting was an ability that could be called the same.  
Blade looked at his left hand as he shifted it to sharp claws. It was the rudimentary shapeshifting all vampires and he shared, inherited from Drake.  
Despising the sight, his hand changed back to normal.  
What Loki called magic was probably an alien species' ability to manipulate matter.


	5. Chapter 5

Loki slipped from sleep into a trance that allowed him to connect with Yggdrasil's energy.  
This world was truly unwatched by all of Asgard or anyone else. It was like Heimdall was unaware of its existence. If that was really the case, it first and foremost meant safety from Odin's punishment and from Thanos' wrath. On deeper thought it opened endless, exciting possibilities.  
Maybe he should consider staying here for a while, laying low and letting things cool down in Asgard, waiting until Thanos went on to different things that didn't involve torturing Loki.  
Then he would return when they expected him the last and take Asgard's throne. Thor wouldn't interfere with his plans again.  
Damn Thor. Damn Odin. His revenge on them all would be sweet.  
Once he held Gungnir, he would face Thanos and make him kneel.  
Or maybe he would eventually decide to subjugate this different Midgard.  
Time would tell.

He wondered how much time had passed since he had slipped away from Thor's captivity. It felt like long ago, but he had no way to tell for sure. Time flowed differently in the cosmic space of Yggdrasil. The only indication he had was that he'd lost weight and his hair had grown a few inches, which pointed at several weeks. No indication at all he had for how much time had passed on Asgard and the other Midgard.  
The only thing he would soon find out was the current date on this Midgard. Of course he also needed to research much more. The easiest way was this Midgardian internet. The information presented there wasn't always accurate, but easily accessible. The only difficulty was the 'how'.  
Ask Blade to use that computer he had seen earlier in the other room? Or sneak away to one of the places he had noticed in the city? He could create a sleeping copy of himself and teleport there. But the man was very perceptive, he wasn't sure how much he would notice. So Loki better did not risk what little connection he had managed to create to him so far. Neither option was good, and he decided to wait for a better opportunity.

Eventually Loki got up and went to the bathroom, taking a quick look at Blade who was sleeping on the couch. Loki felt this wasn't only because he had wanted to spend some time alone at the computer, but also to avoid the close proximity of sleeping in the same bed with someone. 

While Loki was taking a shower, Blade carefully listened to every sound in the building.  
Bringing home strays again, Whistler would've admonished him.  
His expression hardened as he thought of another stray he'd taken in.  
Scud who'd eventually turned against him and chosen a life as the Overlord's property. He'd wanted to be a pet in the new world of daywalking vampires after he'd decided there as no way Blade could win this.  
But Blade had tricked the lying familiar and his vampire master and in the end the results had been what he'd aimed at, even though he'd gotten himself and Whistler into a bigger danger than he had calculated.

Loki stepped out of the shower and inspected his long hair in the mirror. He decided to keep it that way for now, the look suited him well.

Naked he walked into the room where Blade had waken up from the noise of the shower, casually picking up his pants and underwear from the floor. He greatly enjoyed the way Blade's gaze flickered over his body.  
He considered for a second and decided. It wasn't difficult, he already felt the first stirrings of want at the sight of Blade.  
Still laying down and seemingly relaxed and a little tousled from sleep he was so sexy, that Loki found himself wanting him desperately.

So he acted on it and got to enjoy a quick, intense fuck. 

Afterwards, he thought that Blade was truly exquisite. He was going to really enjoy this as long as it worked in his favor.

"How about another try at dinner? As delicious as you are, I'm still starving." Loki smiled captivatingly at Blade and kissed him.

@@@

This time dinner went without interruptions of the suckhead variety. At least so far.  
Blade didn't like at all what the attack in broad daylight implied about the extent of Kobejitsu's power. Greater than he'd known so far.  
He had to find out if Loki was in any way involved. Instinct told him no. Hell, instinct told him Loki had no idea about vampires at all. 

He watched Loki eat a piece of sashimi. Though the scent was wrong, the raw meat looked surprisingly appealing. Not something he should think about further.

"Delicious." Loki licked his lips and smiled.  
"Tell me about those vampires you hunt. What's true about them? What's myth?"

Fishing for information while he hadn't the slightest clue? Probably. Blade would answer truthfully, but not tell anything not obvious.  
"Forget those shit about the undead or involvement with the devil. All they're after is the human's blood. Holy water and crosses don't do shit. They would laugh their asses off at that and suck your sweet blood anyway. Sunlight, silver and garlic kill them."

Blood? Did Blade mean that literally?, Loki wondered.  
"What makes them so dangerous?" He ate another succulent piece of fish.

"They control finances, politics, the criminal underworld, everything, and they're increasing in numbers. Problem is the majority of population doesn't even think they're real. And then there's always some fuck who wants to rise to power, gain world domination, make them all daywalkers." Blade thought of exactly those fucks who he'd killed.  
"A single bite from a vampire means death. It infects and makes the victim a vampire, too. Since they usually don't want that, they kill after sucking the blood."

Amazing. So he meant it literally.  
Creatures that sustained on ... blood?  
Loki had truly never encountered anything like that.  
The surprises of any version of Midgard were vast.

"How do they organize the supply of blood? Random ... attacks seem unreliable," he asked, truly curious.

"They own the bloodbanks. That's where the majority of their food comes from. For fun they prey on humans each night." They were also involved in human trafficking and modern slavery. The rich suckheads on top of the hierarchies bought humans from third world countries, or the former Eastern block if they wanted caucasians.  
Now and then there had been tries at 'blood farming facilities'. The way Talos had done it and Frost had intended to was rare. Several times Blade had seen imprisoned humans, kept like cattle, bled until they died from abuse and neglect. He thought it wise to keep that knowledge to himself for now.

Absolutely fascinating, Loki thought.  
"What's your part in all this?"

"I hunt them and keep them from taking over too much control."

Did Blade drink blood, too? Probably, he decided. The man wasn't human, but all the more like the vampires he hunted.  
It hadn't gone unnoticed by Loki that he hadn't shown any interest at all in food so far. Blade hadn't ordered any food now or the last time.  
Loki thought jokingly, if I weren't a god, I actually would have to be careful around such a creature.

"How did you get here?" Blade asked, abruptly changing the topic. He thought of the flash of light and how Loki had just appeared out of thin air.

"A wormhole."

"Where did it come from?"

Loki resisted the urge to answer 'magic'. He didn't wanted Blade to know that he could manipulate spacetime. It was something besides him only Odin could do. Even Heimdall was powerless without the Bifröst.  
"The Bifröst," he answered. "It is a machine we use for interstellar travel. It opens a wormhole between two destinations, therefore creating a direct and quick way, opposed to the slow transportation a spaceship would provide."

Blade recognized that from his reading. The rainbow bridge that connected Asgard and Midgard. It was well imaginable how the people of ancient Scandinavia had interpreted it that way.

"When did you last visit Earth?" he asked.  
Loki knew his way around many things on earth, he had to have been here recently, not 1000 years ago.

Loki's mind raced. Either Blade just wondered how Loki could speak English if he was a God from another planet, or he'd read about him and Norse Mythology on that computer of his. The last thing shouldn't be possible, there should be no mythology about him at all, if this world was truly secluded. The knowledge of his divinity could've never reached it.

"Technically, never. Your world isn't the Midgard I was worshipped on centuries ago. It seems this is an alternative universe." Loki decided the truth was for once best. If he hadn't said earlier he was a 'stranger to this world of yours' he could've lied now, but he'd said it, so he had to build his story on it.  
"I've watched the development of my Midgard now and then. The last time I wandered through mankind's countries was ten of your years ago." Loki sipped at his red wine. "I didn't do anything, I just watched some and then left. Since humans stopped to worship us, we didn't interfere anymore."

Blade eyed him with obvious skepticism.  
"How do you know this is an alternative universe?"

"Jörmungandr isn't here," he said, hoping to get a reaction ...

"So you're telling me that giant snake truly exists?" Blade kept his face impassive. "How would you know if it's here or not?"

"My son lives in the deep sea of Midgard. Whenever I come there, I can feel his presence."  
So the mythology existed here. Not what Loki had hoped for.  
This world couldn't be completely out of sight then, in some way both Midgards had to be connected, otherwise that knowledge wouldn't have reached this world. He didn't think the connection happened recently, though, so it still should be relatively safe here.

"How? Can you read minds?" Blade's skepticism was replaced with concern, that much could Loki tell from his restrained expression.

"Oh, no, though sometimes I wish I could." Loki laughed. "It's always been like this. Since he was born I just knew where he was."

"If this is an alternative universe, is there also an alternative version of Asgard?" Blade wondered.

"No, there's only one Asgard. Maybe because the home of the gods is the centre of all universes." Loki smiled at his own joke. "To speak openly, I'm not sure about the exact reasoning myself yet."  
He thought Blade didn't believe him.

"You said you got lost. What happened? You were wearing restraints when I found you." Blade changed the subject again.

Loki could tell any story, Blade had no way of finding out what was true. So he did exactly that, making up a colorful tale of how he'd travelled Vanaheim, gotten caught up in an invasion of giants and been taken prisoner, then eventually escaped and wanted to return to Asgard via the Bifröst. It malfunctioned, though, after it had just been repaired from its near destruction during an earlier frost giant invasion. The malfunction apparently had send him to this alternative universe.

" ... So I'm stuck here for the time being," he concluded. "Good thing I met you." He casually touched Blade's hand on the table, brushing his fingers in a caress over the back of his hand. "I greatly enjoy your hospitality. Last night you asked me if I wanted to hunt vampires with you. Well, I do. I long for new adventures." He smiled mischievously.


	6. Chapter 6

Blade was sure Loki hadn't told him everything about how he'd gotten to Earth or that even the parts he'd told were true. He felt there was something else to it.  
Yet Blade accepted.  
It was the only way he would find out more. And since Loki would be spending some time on earth, it was always better if he stayed with him instead of some suckheads getting their claws into him.

In the coming days, Loki found he was actually enjoying himself. He had turned down Blade's offer of a firearm, instead using one or two small silver daggers. It was easy to transform the weapons to argentum and for a moment it reminded him how he'd once transformed stones and dirt into gold in front of the eyes of primitive humans centuries ago. After that, mankind had turned large efforts into achieving the same, even created the art of alchemy which mostly concentrated on it. An excellent joke. It was still funny after all this time.  
The use of daggers also gave him the chance to gently tease Blade with his magic. He knew it unnerved Blade every time he just let them appear out of thin air. Which he actually didn't do, he invisibly kept them hidden on himself instead from teleporting them in from that rift in space-time he used for storage of objects. Loki felt no need to wear his armor and opted for casual black leather with green and gold accents and leather vambraces.

Killing vampires might have been even more fun if they mistook him for a human and tried to prey on him. Sadly it wouldn't happen with the creatures' elaborate sense of smell. Creating a convincing illusion of a human was out of question, he didn't wanted Blade to know he could do that.  
At least he was already getting other ideas how he could have a little fun with the creatures before he killed them.

Loki learned that Blade truly longed for blood, yet refused to indulge this desire. Instead he injected himself with something he called 'serum', a blood replacement. Loki didn't fully understand his reasoning for this, but thought it wise not to question him in depth about that. He knew Blade considered it unethical to bite and kill humans, but they were such unimportant, lowly beings that Loki couldn't see the sense in this.

Besides the killing he enjoyed Blade's company.  
The man was a warrior, but so unlike Thor and the other Aesir.  
Calm, controlled, calculating and smart. His self control and intelligence were attributes that appealed to Loki. He didn't have to feign much of his reactions when it came to Blade.

Soon Loki got the chance to do some research. He read about vampires. Humans seemed to be quite interested in them, but only as an element of fiction. A Daywalker wasn't even mentioned anywhere. He wouldn't find any better information than what Blade would give him here.  
The human's vast stupidity was truly amusing.  
Also he read about himself.  
God of Mischief, Fire and Lies. Son of Farbauti and Laufey. Blood brother of Odin. Bringer of Ragnarök. Father of Jörmungandr, Fenrir and Hela. Mother of Sleipnir.  
Not all accurate, but true enough.  
His research proved his earlier assumption that the connection between both Midgards was a thing of the distant past.

So this realm was truly a good place to hide. He thought of past times, when he'd once spent eight years on Midgard in the disguise of a woman and born children and other occasions. This time he would avoid the disastrous ending such happenings seemed to have.  
His plan was already firm in his mind. When enough time had passed, he'd return to Asgard and take the throne. In case an untimely confrontation with Thor or worse on Midgard preceded those events, he would win Blade as an ally to help him with that.

"How much of those legends is true?" Blade came to look over his shoulder at the computer screen.

Loki halfway turned around and looked up at him.  
"Well, I'm here and not bound with my son's entrails until Ragnarök. So at least some of the myths can't be true ... But then I told you of Jörmungandr's existence, and yes, he's truly the Midgard serpent." Loki grinned.

"I'd hoped you would like to share more information on this."

"Ask me later. There will be moments when I'll feel inclined to do so."

"How does your magic work? What are you capable of?"

"That's a question for much later. Or would you like me to ask you how comes you're the Daywalker?"

"Can you shapeshift?"

"No."

"Mythology says otherwise."

"Then it's not true."

"You're lying to me," Blade stated, obviously referring to more than just this conversation.

Loki smiled innocently.  
"Well, you're lying to me, too. So let's just accept it as a fact of our joining. For now, there's something more interesting I would like to show you when we go hunting this night."

Hours later, Blade grinned as the vampires' guns turned into snakes with a green glow.

"I told you it's going to be fun."

And Loki had even better ideas for the coming nights.

Soon he especially enjoyed to observe the vampires and their human servants, the familiars, and then strategically hide items such as drugs, money or weapons and watch the ensuing quarrels, fights and deaths.  
Reluctant at first, soon Blade saw the fun in that, too.

Loki was intrigued by the UV grenades Blade sometimes used. Science that was so similar to magic. Secretly he worked at duplicating the effect and creating sunlight. He refrained from showing his success to Blade, though. It was better if the extent of his powers stayed as unknown as possible to the Daywalker.

As the weeks went by, Loki found this stay on Midgard more and more pleasant.  
It was liberating in a way he hadn't thought possible before. The torments of his past and his hate for Thor and Odin didn't overwhelm his entire being anymore, but existed on a level that left room for things besides pain.  
Here was no monstrous frostgiant, no fallen prince, no future king in everything he did.

It was a simple life Loki enjoyed intensely.  
Sleep, kill vampires, watch Blade work out, sex, eat delicious food, read about history and science, practice seidhr and even jotun ice magic, as despicable as it was, it could still be useful at some time.  
Oh, the sex ... Blade pleased him so very well. A man strong enough to fuck him roughly and deliciously, but no mindless barbarian brute like the Aesir.

Loki sank down, bedding his head on the pillow.  
"So, tell me something," he asked Blade who laid next to him. "You're better than them, you're the top of evolution on this world. Don't you want to rule them? Reign over vampires and humans?"

"No."

Loki found he didn't understand, but also thought he might like to understand.

@@@

Over time, as the weeks went by and spring came, Blade explained more of the vampire world to Loki, considering it safe to share this information. He was sure by now that Loki was no danger associated with vampires.  
Just a Norse god who had the hots for him ... Very much so ...  
He twisted his right hand into Loki's hair and thrust faster into his cool, wet mouth, enjoying the perverse pleasure of the god's low body temperature a lot more than he should.

Later he thought, that he could, hell maybe even should, kick Loki out, since he needed no one distracting him, but found that he didn't wanted to.  
Blade felt better than in a long time. He was enjoying the company beyond the sexual pleasures that came with it, even though he hadn't thought it possible. Sex had rarely interested him before, now he actually longed for it. Occasionally he had to struggle with the thirst, with the need to bite Loki and suck his blood, but it was manageable.  
The immense pain of Whistler's loss was lessening for the first time in two years, and it didn't feel wrong.

Content to lay close to Loki, their bodies touching everywhere, he fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Loki." His mother's gentle voice pulled him from his fretting thoughts as he stood by the window and watched Thor and the gathering thunderstorm outside. Thor who trained with his mighty hammer, instructed by their Father. He doubted his oafish brother even realized that summoning thunder was in fact the seidhr he despised so much.  
Mjölnir. Father had given it to Thor two weeks ago on his twentieth birthday. To Thor. Not to Loki. Like everything their father did was always about Thor and never about Loki.

Loki turned away and followed his mother into the cool dimness of her chambers. The servants' gazes flickered over him as they walked through the vast palace. He could almost hear their thoughts of how the young prince spend all his time learning women's arts from his mother instead of training and fighting like his brother. Then again it was exactly what could be expected of an argr seidhmadr.

Frigga placed her hand on his arm and walked at his side.  
"Your father loves you, he just doesn't always show it in the best way."

Loki couldn't think of anything but a caustic answer, so he remained silent.

The Einherjar, which guarded the door, opened it for them and closed it after they had entered.  
Loki immediately noticed the sword on the table by the fire bowl. His mother's golden sword, Laevateinn. 

Frigga picked it up with both hands and held it out to Loki.  
"From now on, you will hold Laevateinn, my son."

"Mother, you can not ..."

"It is yours, Loki." She smiled encouragingly. "Take Laevateinn."

 _Mine ..._  
Loki gripped the handle and gasped at the power that rushed through him. He laid his left hand on the blade.

"Laevateinn's strength is immense in the hand of an adept sorcerer. It gives you the power of life and death. Use it wisely."  
Frigga placed her hands on Loki's. Her power flowed into him, bathing them in a golden gleam.  
"Laevateinn is not only sword, but also magical staff. Your magic will tell you how to use it."

"Does Father approve?" Loki asked even though he thought he already knew the answer.

"This is between the Allmother and her son."

This made Loki love Laevateinn even more.

Proudly he carried the golden sword. He didn't long for Mjölnir anymore for he had earned himself something much better ...

Loki opened his eyes. And saw the familiar ceiling of their bedroom. The curtains were closed to keep out the daylight. He turned his head to look at the clock on the nightstand. 10:57 a.m. The covers felt constricting and too hot. He kicked them off.  
Blade stirred next to him, but didn't fully wake up. The movements were too familiar to register as danger.

Loki's thoughts swirled around Frigga who'd taught him so much.  
Seidhr on from when he had been a small child. How to fight with swift, precise daggers when he had turned old enough. Weaving and spinning. Art. Philosophy. Strategy.  
Now she must think him dead and mourn for him. He hated causing her such grief.

And they swirled around Laevateinn. To thoughts of glorious victories and painful memories of how the warriors still hadn't accepted him, of their whispers of ergi because he used seidhr in battle, he drifted back to sleep.

Surrounded by enemies, the Asgardian armies were falling.  
In the middle of the battlefield, Loki raised Laevateinn.  
He called upon Yggdrasil's primordial magic and unleashed fire upon the giants. It was vast destruction, more powerful than anything he had ever done before. Like the force that had created universe itself.  
The firestorm wiped Asgard's enemies away, as ash they fell on the burned ground.

Suddenly Odin rode down from the sky on Sleipnir, roaring in rage.  
A blast from Gungnir took Loki down.

"You are unworthy of such power!" Odin roared.

He dragged Loki with him back on the Bifröst where Heimdall stood. Tears of shame and desperation ran over Loki's face.  
"Please, no, father ... What I have done wrong?"

"You never will be worthy. You never will carry Laevateinn again!"  
Odin ripped Laevateinn from Loki's hands and tossed it from the Bifröst, away into the depths of space.

Loki screamed.

Odin stormed away to unleash his rage on Frigga for what she had done when she had given Laevateinn to Loki.

Loki jerked awake, a scream tearing from his lips.  
Blade's touch on his shoulder nearly went unnoticed as he struggled to free himself from the pull of the intensely realistic dream.

Back then he hadn't hated Odin for taking away what was his.  
He had wanted to gain forgiveness and acceptance.  
Oh, how things had changed recently.  
Now he hated Odin and wanted him dead.  
That was the way he would eventually take his throne, over Odin's dead body.

Closing his eyes, he felt a sudden calmness. As he opened them again, he looked into Blade's concerned ones.  
Loki laid back down, embracing Blade and pulling him with him.

"Your mythology says I'm either Aesir or Jotun or both. In a way it is not far from the truth. I'm not Aesir, but a monstrous Frostgiant. Odin stole me from my true father and hid my true identity. With that he took away what is mine and lied to me my whole life. My birthright is the Throne of Jotunheim, but he ensured I would never have it when he raised me as his second son and stole the Casket of Ancient Winters from my father Laufey. I did everything to win Odin's appreciation, I even gave Sleipnir to him, but it was never enough. Of course he never even considered to give the Throne of Asgard to me. Instead he will give it to my stupid brother Thor. I was always just a little plaything for Thor, despised by the whole of Asgard. They call me witch, whisper mare and ergi behind my back. Once I killed an idiot who'd said it into my face in Holmgang, and it didn't change anything. They hated me for causing his death. After that, I got my revenge in different ways."

Blade felt this was the truth. How very interesting. And different from the mythology. _So he isn't blood brother to Odin, but his adoptive son and brother of Thor_ , he thought. Amazing that mythology had gotten this wrong while the tales of the Midgard serpent and apparently even Sleipnir were true.  
Loki's jealousy of Thor was obvious. Blade would've betted the way Loki had ended up on Earth had to do something with a conflict between the two of them or between Odin and his sons. Maybe Loki would tell him about it someday.

"The midgardian's tale of Mjölnir isn't accurate, though I love the credit they give me with it," Loki continued. "It wasn't forged by dwarves on my doing, but created within a dying star by Odin himself for the son he was going to have, ages before Thor's birth. An ancient powerful weapon, it was long kept in Asgard's weapon's vault. Odin showed it to us when we were still boys, saying we both had the chance to earn it. He lied. It was always only intended for Thor."

Loki didn't tell any more, but, to Blade's surprise, kissed him and then went down on him. Blade guessed he wanted distraction from his nightmare.

Afterwards, when they'd gotten up, Blade looked up what ergi and holmgang meant. He vaguely remembered that he'd read the words before.

He understood p the mare reference. Loki had shapeshifted into a mare to distract the wall builder's stallion and later given birth to the magical horse Sleipnir. He really hadn't thought this story to be true in any way.

He found out that ergi was a grave insult, denoting effeminacy and unmanly, cowardly behavior. Among other things, practice of seidhr by a man, being a female animal and male homosexuality, especially the passive role, were considered argr.  
All things which applied to Loki.  
To accuse another man of being argr was called scolding, and thus a legal reason to challenge the accuser in holmgang, a sort of duel to the death.  
Of course that were descriptions of Norse society concepts, not actually Asgard. But assuming that Asgard had heavily influenced Norse society, the basic concepts would be similar at least and describe a strong adherence to gender roles and homophobia.  
Growing up and living in such a society as a man who used sorcery and enjoyed gay sex must have been difficult, especially since Loki clearly preferred bottoming.

Blade could only imagine how hard it must be to daily face homophobia. He'd never experienced discrimination because of his sexual orientation, he knew that was because he rarely mingled with humans, vampires were out of question as sex partners and he'd been seldom interested in sex anyway and on even rarer occasions sought out men for sex.  
But he knew racism and general rejection from when he'd been a freaky child in foster care and he knew how it was to always feel like an outsider. So could somewhat relate to Loki's pain.

During the following days, Loki was brooding. Since that nightmare something was obviously on his mind. Blade was curious, but Loki refused to talk about it. 

Loki wondered where suddenly the dreams of Laevateinn came from. He hadn't experienced such in centuries. Newer torments had claimed his attention. But now Laevateinn occupied his thoughts with such an intensity that he was beginning to consider if that was because It was here on this alternative Midgard. It was possible, after all Odin had just tossed it into space, so it could be anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mjölnir was seen in Asgard's weapon's vault when Odin showed it to young Thor and Loki, so I figured the original tale of how Loki got Mjölnir and other presents for the gods couldn't apply to the movie version.  
> Laevateinn exists in Norse mythology and is even seen as somehow related to Loki, but I made up for this story that Frigga gives it to him.


	8. Chapter 8

As Blade was meditating, Loki laid on the couch. He gradually settled into a deep trance, widening his mind, connecting with Yggdrasil's magic.  
For long, there was nothing.  
He reached out farther and farther, beyond the point where it was getting dangerous.

Finally, a faint whisper of Laevateinn flickered through the vastness.  
But he couldn't reach, couldn't locate it.  
Yggdrasil's power was pulling him in, consuming him.  
With difficulty, he tore free.

He felt his body again, but couldn't move. Fighting the trance, he managed to open his eyes.

"What did you do? You stopped breathing!" he heard Blade's voice like through a heavy fog. Loki liked how concerned he sounded.

"I was searching for something long lost," Loki finally answered when he'd himself under enough control to speak. He turned his head to look at Blade.

"How?" Blade asked to cover how worried he'd been.

"Magical trance. Humans call a remotely similar, though less effective technique astral projection."  
Loki sighed. He would have to find Laevateinn in another way.

The next day, he had formulated a plan and started his research. Odin had taken Laevateinn in 747 AD and laid a spell on it to prevent Loki from locating it.  
It was a difficult task to search Midgard's mythology, religion and history for mentions of mystic, indestructible swords. It meant spending several hours on most days in the university library or even secretly teleport to other cities and break into libraries. With his prior casual studies of human sciences he had often brought 'borrowed' books home or relied on publications that were available online.  
Which meant he had to tell Blade what he was doing there. So he did. The truth, since everything else would backfire should he need Blade's help at some point.  
How the Allmother had given him Laevateinn and Odin eventually took it away, even though it was unjustified. And how he now thought Laevateinn was somewhere on Earth. Blade was curious and seemed to understand his desire to find Laevateinn. He easily accepted Loki's excursions to the libraries.

Their company stayed enjoyable to both of them. They shared exquisite pleasures and growing trust into each other.

Blade told him things about himself. He considered it tactically wise to show Loki his growing trust this way and offer a reward for that Loki had lied less lately.  
He kept to himself that his human mother had been bitten by Frost while she'd been pregnant with him, that was something the suckheads didn't know and would remain a well-kept secret.  
He talked about Whistler, told harmless stories of past times. Sometimes it was painful, but more often he enjoyed it.  
He knew Loki was curious about him as the Daywalker, but Blade was still reluctant to tell much, so he just shared what Loki already knew, that he was stronger and faster than most vampires, and added the new info, that blood instantly healed him while the vampires needed a day or two to fully recover from injuries.

After a few weeks, in a publication about medieval Christian eschatology, Loki came across a mention of a great battle with hell's forces in which the demons had conquered the sword of Evil.  
He thought he understood what that meant and was pleased with his foresight not to lie to Blade about Laevateinn.

Later that day, sated and content after Blade had tossed him on the table and given him a hard fuck, he asked, "Is there a way to get information about the history and mythology of the Vampire Nation?"

"Why?" Blade asked even though he could guess well enough.

"It seems the vampires got hold of Laevateinn."

They moved to their bed and laid down.

"Tell me why that's so bad."

Loki decided to play along.  
"They can't use its magic, but it's still an indestructible weapon in the hands of your enemies," he said.  
"Also the time might come, when Midgard's science has evolved far enough to use Laevateinn as an source or catalyst of energy. Believe me, that's not something you would ever want."

"Then why would I want you to get the sword back if it's so dangerous?"

Loki suppressed his rising anger. Blade was no mere mortal, but a powerful creature that needed to be respected and treated accordingly.  
"It is only dangerous in the hands of those who temper with it, yet don't know how to use it. Laevateinn is destined to be wielded by me. Magic is required to control it, no technology can ever be as adequate. Should they ever try to use Laevateinn to stabilize nuclear fusion, one of its more obvious uses, a quantum singularity will be created. Uncontrollable by mortal technology, though, the quantum singularity will grow and destroy Earth. It will absorb all surrounding matter until the whole planet is gone. How long until science is ready for that? Fifty years? Maybe a hundred?"  
Loki snuggled up against Blade, a gesture totally contrary to the horror scenario he'd just described.  
"Ragnarök is nonsense. People seem to love tales and prophecies of doomsday. I don't want to bring on Ragnarök." _Yet_ , Loki thought. "I want to be King, and I can't achieve that if I destroy everything."

"Tell me what exactly you want to know. Maybe I can get you the information."

"Let me see the writings ..."

"That's not how it works," Blade interrupted him. 

"I promise I'll never use Laevateinn to bring harm upon your Midgard."

"I trust you with your promise and you trust me with getting you the information you want."

Not what Loki wanted to hear, but he knew he had to accept or his only chance at getting Laevateinn back would be lost.  
"There's some Christian mystic note about a 'great battle with hell's forces in which the demons had conquered the sword of Evil'. The rest of all this mysticism is mortal nonsense fueled by that ridiculous monotheistic miscreed, but I'm sure that refers to Laevateinn. The demons are vampires, of course."

"Do you have a year for that?"

"Tenth century, middle Europe."

"I'll be away for some time. You stay in Tokyo and don't fuck up anything. You won't turn invisible and try to follow me and do that teleportation thing of yours."

Loki didn't show his scare and astonishment at that. How did Blade even know? He had always been careful, never teleported or done extensive magic in front of him.

Blade was concerned enough by Loki's tale that he wanted to find out more. He couldn't just leave something like Loki's sword in the hands of the vampires. Whether or not he would return it to Loki, he would decide once he had found a hint to its whereabouts. 

Whistler and he had taken what data, books and ancient scripts they could from Damaskinos' residence before blowing the whole place up. Two years before that, Blade had not only taken money from Frost, but also the digital images and translation of the book of Erebus. It was useless for this, too old, written centuries before Loki's sword ended up on Earth. But Damaskinos' writings might hold the answer.

Three weeks later, Blade returned from a bunker in Siberia with knowledge.

@@@

In the depths of space, the Other assembled the last remaining Chitauri ship for Thanos.


	9. Chapter 9

Loki had mostly refrained from mischief in Blade's absence. Even that wonderful idea which involved shapeshifting into Blade and embarrass the hunter in front of the vampires. Such small, short-time pleasures were not worth sacrificing his larger goals for.

He had spent the time discreetly spying on the vampires and their familiars. After two nights of Blade not killing any of them, they had gotten bolder and emerged further from their hiding places. By the time Blade returned, he had gotten a very interesting lead. He was sure Blade would appreciate what he had found out. He only hoped Blade had information for him, too.

Their reunion was fierce, consumed by a desire that surprised them both with its intensity.  
Later, after they had taken a shower together, Blade said, "Kobejitsu has your sword."

"Then it's indeed fortunate, that I found out where his executives gather." Grinning happily, Loki kissed him. "Thank you very much."

Blade turned to the mirror, checking the accuracy of his haircut and shave.  
"Get ready. We go after them tonight. They will lead us to their lord."  
It was tempting to just crash the party, but then Kobejitsu would be warned and get away. A more subtle approach was called for.

They quickly dressed and geared up and left.  
Loki showed Blade the place he had discovered. A nightclub like many in Tokyo, but its backrooms and underground held what they were looking for.

Blade watched from his hiding place in the vent shafts.

Beneath him was a large pool filled with blood. Four vampires lounged in it, their bodies were covered from the neck down in irezumi tattoos.  
He listened to them for a while. Their talk was about the matters of offshore accounts, business deals, buying prostitutes and how to improve Talos' approach to blood farming. Well, they wouldn't ever get there. Tonight their lives would come to an end.

The adjoining room held an office. Money and bags of cocaine were stacked on the desk.  
A human woman was chained to the wall with a collar. Too late, he could see bites all over her body. And he couldn't attack now anyway if he wanted to follow them to Kobejitsu.

Someone came in. Blade immediately recognized him as the pureblood he'd set at fire months ago. Of course he had recovered completely, not a single mark showed on him.

Suddenly the man's mobile phone rang. He pulled it from an interior pocket of his haori.  
"I greet you, Lord," he said, bowing out of habit.

Blade was getting excited as he listened. Soon he was sure the vampire was talking to Kobejitsu and it sounded like he was summoned.

Just as the vampire looked up into Blade's direction like he was feeling watched, a hand touched Blade's ankle. Recognizing Loki, Blade kept silent and unmoving, even as he felt a strange tingling sensation all over his body.  
"Just a little spell to conceal us," Loki whispered.

And it worked. The vampire obviously hadn't heard Loki's voice. Looking around and upwards again, he finished the call, then packed up the stacks of money.


	10. Chapter 10

"Out." Blade pointed into the backwards direction.

He handed a small transmitter to Loki.  
"Can you attach that to his car without him noticing you? You'll have to wait and see which one he takes before placing it."

"Of course."  
It wouldn't reveal anything about his powers to Blade he didn't already know about anyway.

Away from Blade's sight, Loki shapeshifted into a black rat with blue-green eyes and scurried out of the ventilation system to the parking area behind the nightclub. The black limousines with their tinted windows left no doubt whom they belonged to.  
Soon the vampire exited the back door of the nightclub, flanked by two armed bodyguards and followed by a driver.  
The rat already waited by the cars. As the men got into one of the cars, it attached the transmitter and then safely hid under the adjoining car.

After the vampires had left, Loki teleported away to meet with Blade several streets away by their motorcycles, appearing in his Aesir shape. Not much later, Blade jumped from a rooftop and silently landed next to him.

The receiver led their way, allowing them to follow unnoticed in a safe distance. For nearly two hours they drove out of Tokyo to an impressive residence in the woods.

As they'd hid the bikes by the road and were sneaking through the thick vegetation, Blade placed a gun into Loki's hand.  
"You will need it. This is different from what we did before. The place is gonna be swarmed with armed guards." He realized he was concerned Loki might get hurt in this and refused to think further about it now. Too confusing.  
"You take the back. I go in from the front," he decided the attack plan. "You might want to make sure your sword is really here before you kill Kobejitsu."

"How does he look?"

"You'll know when you see him."  
With that, Blade slipped away into the darkness.

Excited, Loki watched him.  
Laevateinn. Finally.  
This close he could actually sense it. It was here, there was no doubt.

Like a shadow Blade slipped over the fence into the garden and quietly killed the patrolling guards.

Loki hurried to the backof the building. He considered the gun Blade had given to him. Sweet how he cared for him. Loki didn't needed it, though, so he let it vanish into his rift in spacetime.  
He climbed over the fence and ran through the garden to the building. After quick consideration he teleported inside. He didn't like teleporting to where he couldn't see or didn't know, but it was the best option.

Startled guards backed away in fear as he materialized before them.  
Grinning, he manifested throwing knifes in his hands and tossed them at the guards.

The bodies dropped dead and Loki walked away.  
He sneaked through the building, avoiding those fights that he could.  
It was unmistakable that Blade didn't. First an alarm went off, then heavy gunfire sounded from the other end of the house.

Loki concentrated on Laevateinn, followed its call.  
It led him to a door. Sounds of fighting came from behind it.

Swiftly, Loki entered.  
And found Blade in fight with a vampire, most likely Kobejitsu, who wielded Laevateinn.

Blade blocked a blow aimed at his head with his katana, but Laevateinn cut right through the silver-plated titanium, severing the sword shortly above the hilt. At the last moment Blade evaded what would've been a killing stroke.

Loki flung ice daggers and a blast of freezing cold at the vampire, acting purely on the impulse to protect Blade.

Impaled by icicles and half-frozen, Kobejitsu flew backwards.  
Laevateinn fell from his grip and skidded over the floor, coming to a halt by the wall.

Loki walked towards the vampire.  
"Laevateinn is mine, you presumptuous creature."

Deciding that this part was Loki's show, Blade stepped aside.

Blue energy gathered in Loki's right hand.  
"Do you even know ..."

He was interrupted by the doors behind them and on his left crashing open.  
Armed guards and soldiers stormed in.  
Blade had no more ammo left, so he threw his glaive.

As the gunfire opened on them, Loki summoned the sun's light, hoping that Blade was truly the resilient creature he thought him to be or this would go very wrong. There weren't any other options left, though.

Bright and hot it exploded all over the room.

The vampires crumbled to ash.  
Severe burning of their entire skin incapacitated the familiars, as not even clothing could offer protection.

The Daywalker was mostly unaffected.  
The intense light hadn't burned him, he only felt somewhat dazzled.  
Amazed, he turned to face Loki who grinned maniacally at him.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion tore apart two walls and the ceiling.  
Blade evaded the splinters of rock and shrapnel at the very last moment, only a few lightly grazed his left upper arm.  
In helpless horror he saw how many large ones tore into Loki.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanos and the Other stepped from the cloud of the explosion, followed by several Chitauri soldiers.

"You failed me, Asgardian!" Thanos roared. "I promised you no place in the universe will be safe for you!"

What the fuck?  
Blade stared at the ... creatures. Aliens. Pissed-off gods. Whatever.  
Discreetly he checked out if any weapons where within reach. The dropped guns of the dead vampires and familiars were scattered on the floor several meters away.  
He held his glaive in hand as it had returned to him. It wasn't enough for such opponents.

Loki stood, ignoring his injuries. He called for Laevateinn.

"Now I will deliver on my promise."  
Thanos shot an energy blast at him.

Loki vanished just before it hit him, creating several illusions of himself, but it stroke Laevateinn, hurling it out of Loki's reach.

The Chitauri attacked Blade.  
He went at vampire-speed for the nearest assault rifle and fired at them and got in several good hits before they shot back with their energy blasters. The creatures died easily from his bullets.  
He jumped up into the destroyed roof construction, glided along its beams and landed behind the Chitauri that were still outside in the garden. Immediately he opened fire on them. He killed them one by one, all the time evading their energy blasts. They were slow, amazingly easy to kill, so Blade wasn't fazed by their numbers.

Loki staggered backwards from Thanos' punch. Blood flowed from his broken nose.  
With all his might, he threw primordial cold at Thanos.  
It slowed the Titan down, but didn't stop him.  
No other option left, Loki continued his assault.  
It was draining him, weakening him, as he covered Thanos in ice, freezing the blood in his veins, impaling him on spikes of ice until the Mad Titan stopped.

Joyous in his victory, Loki sauntered closer.  
He picked up Laevateinn to deliver the killing stroke to the disgusting creature.  
"Now, now, Thanos, you shouldn't have come after me, don't you think? You shouldn't assume the right to mess with a god."

He raised Laevateinn and hauled off and ...

Thanos' right arm broke free from the ice and caught his wrist, crushing it in his grip.  
Thanos took hold of Loki's sword.  
Grinning, he rammed Laevateinn through Loki's chest and shook off the remaining ice. 

"You have no power over me, little godling."

Blade heard the fighting inside and knew he had to aid Loki before he got killed by the huge alien.  
But the rifle clicked empty as he fired at the last Chitauri, the Other, their leader.  
It gave the Other an advantage. Fast, way faster than the Chitauri Blade had killed so far, he attacked.  
Just as Blade was about to sink the glaive into his throat, the Other closed his hand around his forearm.  
Pain.  
Excruciating pain.  
So intense that Blade screamed.  
The glaive dropped from his grip.  
The creature's mere touch brought pain unlike anything Blade had known before. Every nerve in his body was at fire.  
"So Loki found himself a new ally," the Other sneered. "Then kneel and learn your position ..."  
The agony made Blade's control totally slip and focus all on aggression. Acting on instinct, his fangs lengthened and his hands shapeshifted. Roaring, he broke the Other's grip. His claws tore into the Other's bare chest, ripped apart muscle, tendons and even bone. Blood splattered everywhere, so disgusting he kept from sinking his fangs into the creature. He ripped the Other's heart out and dropped the body. With a precise kick he shattered the skull and neck.  
Blade picked up the Other's spear and jumped at Thanos to kick him into the head. 

Roaring in annoyance, Thanos caught him by his ankle before he could even land the kick and smashed him onto the ground, breaking the floor's granite.  
Then he tossed Blade outside, hitting him with a blast of cosmic energy while he was still in the air, so he crashed into the woods.

Thanos focused back on Loki.  
"You've come to care for these ... things and their planet? I'll rip them apart while you watch. Then I'll make you suffer like no other has before."

To give a small foretaste, he stomped down on Loki, enjoying the crunch of bones under his boot.  
"You thought you could fool me?"  
Thanos kicked Loki, sending him flying outside.  
"You will learn better!"

Loki crashed into a tree, breaking it apart, and fell hard onto the forest floor. The impact pushed Laevateinn back in where it was protruding from his back.  
Loki gripped the sword and pulled it free from his spine and ribcage.

He quietly laughed at the irony.  
Laevateinn was finally back in his hand and yet he laid here, his body utterly broken from Thanos' attack.  
He wouldn't die frome these injuries. He would heal completely, even from the fractured vertebrae and severed spinal cord that now paralyzed him from the chest down. But he needed time for that, which was something he hadn't.

Blade laid next to him.  
The ground beneath him was drenched with blood, that was coming from the huge wound on his chest and abdomen where Thanos' blast of energy had torn through him.  
More blood spurted from that huge injury with each heartbeat. Blood foamed on his lips.  
The injury was a disaster, Loki could even make out torn internal organs and pieces of bone in the mangled expanse of burnt flesh and molten Kevlar.

Loki refused to accept that Thanos had won ... and saw a gleam of hope when he remembered what Blade told him.  
Blade was clearly in no shape to discuss anything, so he grabbed him by the collar of his leatherjacket and dragged him close. Blade weakly groaned in pain and slumped down on him.

"Drink my blood ... a God's blood," Loki whispered.  
In the distance, he heard Thanos kill whatever was still alive in the house.

In the moment of Blade's hesitation, Loki's thoughts raced.  
His blood would instantly heal Blade and hopefully give him enough strength to defeat Thanos, especially now as the Titan was weakened from his fight with Loki.  
Loki didn't care about this Midgard, but he cared about himself and didn't wanted to die from torture by Thanos' hand. What little pain he had experienced at the hands of the Chitauri was nothing compared to what Thanos would do to him. And he wanted to keep Blade.  
The virus that transformed humans into vampires would get into his body, which shouldn't be a problem since no pathogens affected him. His blood might even kill Blade, he remembered well from Blade's telling that only human blood worked as nourishment. But none of this mattered now. It was their only chance.

Blade growled.  
Surprisingly strong fingers grabbed Loki's hair at the back of his neck and turned his head to the side.  
Loki gasped as fangs sank into his jugular.  
Suction began, quickly growing strong and demanding.

Loki groaned.  
His life force, his seidhr, his power, the last of his strength, everything drained from him at an alarming rate.  
He struggled weakly which seemed to encourage Blade. The Daywalker growled and his grip on Loki tightened.

Thanos was coming for them, Loki heard him.

Blade straightened up and roared.  
An animal sound like Loki never heard from him before.  
Loki stared at him.  
Fangs bared. Lips bloody. His wounds had vanished.  
Magnificent, Loki thought.

"Now take Laevateinn and slay Thanos."  
Loki felt light-headed and almost too weak to lift his arm to hand his sword to Blade.  
"It deflects his blasts of energy," he added in a soft whisper.

Blade swirled around, grabbing Laevateinn in the movement of getting up.  
He had to get Thanos away from Loki, so he ran in a wide arch towards the house to attack him.

Thanos was surprised at his sight, wondering what kind of creature this was, then decided wherever the Asgardian had digged up this, it would die now and shot a wave of energy at it.

Instead of evading, Blade raised Laevateinn and stood his ground.  
The power of the impact nearly forced him to step backwards, but it worked.

The energy deflected back at Thanos.  
The Titan staggered.

Blade knew he had to end this as fast as possible.

He jumped to attack, feigning a maneuver similar to the one that hadn't worked before.  
But instead of trying to get in a useless kick, he landed behind Thanos, swinging Laevateinn in a high arch.  
The sword cut through the Titan's neck, separating his head from his body.

Swirling around, he rammed the sword into the chest of the fallen body where the heart would be in a human.  
Yet the giant body still twitched.  
Suddenly Laevateinn glowed gold and green with Loki's magic.  
Thanos' body froze over, then splintered around the sword and crumbled into thousand pieces. His separated head broke apart as well.

Slowly Blade walked towards where Loki laid, scared at how ... the more dead Loki looked the closer he came.  
Had the magic to kill Thanos exhausted his energy?  
He stood next to Loki. There was no breathing or heartbeat to be heard. Fuck ...  
He crouched down. As his fingers touched Loki's face, his eyes opened.

Blade smiled and placed Laevateinn back in Loki's hands.

@@@

Laevateinn was his again.  
That thought occupied Loki's mind as he laid in bed for the days his broken bones needed to heal, his back, pelvis and ribs splinted so he couldn't move.  
He planned how he would take Asgard's throne and slay Odin when the right time had come.  
He broke Odin's spell on Laevateinn, freeing the sword's full power. What he'd once thought impossible, he now managed to do. Odin's magic wasn't almighty. The time would come when Loki would be able to overpower him, even with Asgard's forces behind the Allfather and Gungnir in his hand. Then the only problem left would be how to do so without breaking Frigga's heart. He came to understand why Odin had taken Laevateinn away from him, the Allfather had actually feared his power even back then and strived to make sure Loki didn't become stronger than Thor or him.

Blade turned out to be good at playing nurse. He took care of him well and didn't tease him or take advantage of his helpless state.

Blade was truly useful. No beyond useful, Loki had come to like him a lot and actually cared for him. He would continue to live with him on Midgard for now.  
When the time to leave came, he would make sure Blade accompanied him. Before that, he would have to find a way to tell Blade about Thanos and the Chitauri without alienating him.

"Allow me a gift," Loki spoke. "Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to recover Laevateinn. So the least I can do to express my gratitude is replace what you lost in that fight."  
Loki pulled a dagger, one of his favorites, stolen from Muspelheim's fires, from his rift in space time. A green and gold glow surrounded his hand, extending onto the dagger and up his arm. His dagger transformed into a mighty sword. A gift fitting for the Daywalker.  
Blade took it, testing its balance, smiling at Loki as he swung it experimentally.  
"The sword will never fail and never break," Loki said. He placed his right hand on Blade's hand on the hilt. "It is silver-plated and will kill everything you set your mind on. Your enemies can't use it against you."  
 _And you or anyone can't use it against me,_ he silently added. Just a precaution, not an expression of distrust.

Loki recovered from his injuries.  
The vampire virus didn't affect him, something that had secretly concerned him during the first days.  
If his blood had any effects on Blade remained a mystery. He couldn't make out any obvious changes and Blade didn't talk about it.

Kobejitsu's residence and the Chitauri spaceship had been blown up with explosives and the remains burned down in Loki's magical fire so the vampires or human authorities wouldn't discover them.

Finally healed enough to enjoy physical pleasures again, Loki traced his fingers over Blade's chest and belly where the shapes of his tattoos where interrupted with new, regenerated skin, the only remaining indication of the extent of his injuries.  
Later as he laid on his back, legs spread, long hair splayed on the white sheet, wild and tousled and curling, Blade above him, Loki turned his head to the side, putting the side of his neck on display.  
"Bite me," he purred, carried away far enough in his pleasure to ask for this without further preamble and without thinking it through.  
Blade stopped in his fucking, hesitating in shock.  
It felt like an eternity full of doubt and fear of rejection to Loki until Blade finally leaned down and fiercely bit him.  
And Loki discovered pleasures like he hadn't known before.

The End


End file.
